Three Schuylkill County inmates have been charged after an assault on correctional officers Friday night.

Pottsville Police Chief Richard F. Wojciechowsky said his officers were called to the jail, at 230 Sanderson St., at about 7 p.m. for incident in which correctional officers were assaulted and injured by several inmates.

The incident happened in the restricted housing unit, which is used for disciplinary, administrative and protective custody inmates.

When police arrived, they learned that all of the inmates had been contained.

The inmates were identified as William Clark, 32, of Pottsville; Edwin Cruet, 29, of Reading; and Rakeem McCullough, 23, of Newark.

Police learned that Clark was being prepared to be moved to another cell, and became uncooperative despite several verbal commands issued by the correctional officers, forcing the them to enter into the cell.

Before the guards entered the cell, the three inmates placed towels around their faces in an attempt to prevent the correctional officers from using aerosol chemical agents, such as pepper spray, to remove them from the cell.

As the correctional officers entered the cell, all three inmates took up an aggressive fighting stance in the rear of the cell.

The inmates started a physical assault on the guards, requiring defensive responses from the correctional officers to stop the aggressive criminal activity.

The correctional officers were successful in overpowering the inmates.

Due to injuries sustained during the incident, two corrections officers sought medical treatment at a local facility, and each of the three inmates also were taken for treatment at a local medical facility.

Criminal complaints were prepared by the Pottsville police charging both Clark and McCullough with five counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault, and harassment, and Cruet with one count each of aggravated assault, simple assault, and harassment. The inmates remain jailed in the county prison.